Thursday, July 1, 2010

This past weekend I made my very first homemade salsa. The day I made it I was also doing peaches, and bread, and jam....it was a busy day. Amanda told me that Nanny wanted to know if I wanted to put up some tomatoes. I never did it before, but I really wanted to do it. So I went over to Nanny's and she told me I could have tomatoes from the second table. Chris and I got 2 walmart bags full. Yum! I was afraid to take anymore because sometimes when I don't know what I'm doing I just make a mess out of it, and then I have to throw it to the hog. Anyway, I was alittle overwhelmed by the project, but know that it is done I can't wait to do it again on a larger scale.I used the recipe from my Blue Ball Canning Book. It's called Zesty Salsa. The day I made it I thought it would be really spicy, and it was just alittle mild. Then we ate it again a couple of nights later, and it wasn't really spicy at all. It was kid friendly I think. This recipe made 8 pints. I want to wait about a month to make more. Someone in the family said they made salsa and like a month later when they opened it the vinegar had taken over. I'm really afraid of that. Also Harmony had another recipe for salsa I want to try...LOL We will see....Zesty Salsa10 c. chopped, seeded, peeled, cored tomatoes (about 6 lbs) ( I didn't seed)5 c. chopped & seeded long green peppers (about 2 lbs)5 c. chopped onions (about 1 1/2 lbs)2 1/2 c. chopped & seeded hot peppers (about 1 lb)1 1/4 c. cider vinegar3 cloves garlic, minced2 tbsp. cilantro, minced3 tsp. salt1 tsp. hot pepper sauce (opt)(I didn't use this)3 jalapeno peppers1 sebenero pepperDirections:Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pot, adding hot pepper sauce, if desired. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer 10 minutes. Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield: about 6 pints. (mine made 8 pints)When cutting or seeding hot peppers, wear rubber gloves to prevent hands from being burned.

How much salsa can a family eat? I don't know but I'm going to keep track...LOL